Monday, July 07, 2008

JULY 7, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!1917 - John Sullivan, comedian, singer, radio performer, and the second "Lonzo" (after Lloyd George left the team in 1950) in the Capitol Records duo Lonzo & Oscar, is born in Edmonton, Kentucky1924 - Mary Ford, singer, guitarist, and a Capitol Records artist as part of a duo with her husband Les Paul, is born Iris Colleen Summers in Pasadena, California1927 - Charlie Louvin, guitarist, singer and a Capitol Records artist both solo and as part of the duo The Louvin Brothers with his brother Ira, is born Charlie Elzer Loudermilk in either Section or Henegar, Alabama. If anyone has a definitive birth place, please leave a comment.1940 - Ringo Starr, singer, drummer, motion picture actor, animated feature voice actor, member of the groups Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, the Parlophone, Capitol, and Apple Records group The Beatles, and a solo artist on Apple Records is born Richard Parken in Liverpool, England. He later becomes Richard Starkey, Jr. after his divorced mother marries Richard Starkey. If any one knows Richard's middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY1945 - Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records single "On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe" enters Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records charts at #4. The track will eventually peak at #1 and be on the charts for sixteen weeks1951 - Nat "King" Cole (with orchestra conducted by Les Baxter using an arrangement by Nelson Riddle)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is still #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is still #3, and Les Paul's Capitol Records single "Josephine" is #16 up from #201956 - Gene Vincent and The Blue Cap's Capitol Records single "Be Bop A Lula" is still #23 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, The Four Freshman's Capitol Records single "Graduation Day" is #27 up from #48, Dean Martin (with Dick Stabile and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Standing On The Corner" is #29 up from #40, Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "How Little We Know" is #35 down from #33, Tex Ritter's Capitol Records single "The Wayward Wind" is #37 up from #47, and Joe "Fingers" Carr's Capitol Records single "Portuguese Washerwoman" is tied for #40 up from #55 with Tommy Leonetti's single "Free"50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Capitol Records releases Jean Shepard's single "He's My Baby" with "Secret Of Life" on the flip side50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Dean Martin (with Dick Stabile and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is tied for #8 down from #6 with Jimmie Rodgers' single "Secretly" on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, Nat "King' Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #13 up from #18, The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Big Man" is #15 down from #10, The Johnny Otis Show's Capitol Records single "Willie And The Hand Jive" is #27 up from #33, and Ed Townsend's Capitol Records single "For Your Love" is tied for #31 down from #29 with Link Wray and His Ray Men's single "Rumble"1960 - Nat "King" Cole records the tracks "I Saw Three Ships" and "A Cradle In Bethlehem", with Ralph Carmichael and His Orchestra45 Years Ago Today In 1963 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Act Naturally" returns to #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts1964 - Arranger and pianist Onzy Matthews (with Harry "Sweets" Edison, Ollie Mitchell,Melvin Moore, John Anderson, and Bob Rolfe on trumpets; Dave Wells on bass trumpet and trombone; Lou Blackburn, Pete Myers, and Dick Leith on trombone; Gabe Baltazar on alto saxophone; Clifford Scott on alto saxophone and tenor saxophone; Curtis Amy and Alex Nelson on tenor saxophone; Jay Migliori on baritone saxophone; Ray Crawford on guitar; Jim Crutcher on bass; and Chiz Harris on drums) records the tracks "Moon River", "Down In My Soul" (which will be rejected), and "You'll Know The First Time" for his Capitol Records album "Sounds For The '60s!" with producer Lee Gillette and recording engineer Hugh Davies at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California1965 - Peggy Lee, with Sid Feller and His Orchestra, records the tracks "Free Spirits", "Seventh Son", and "I Go To Sleep" with producer Dave Cavanaugh at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California for her Capitol Records album "Then Was Then And Now Is Now!"1969 - Apple Records releases Plastic Ono Band's single "Give Peace A Chance", with "Remember Love" on the flip side, with Capitol Records handling manufacturing and distribution in the United States35 Years Ago Today In 1973 - Apple Records releases Wings' single "Live And Let Die" (title song for the motion picture) with "I Lie Around" on the flip side. Capitol Records will handle distribution in the United States.1975 - Capitol Records releases Natalie Cole's album "Inseparable"1985 - Duran Duran's Capitol Records single "A View To A Kill" (title song for the motion picture), with "A View To A Kill (That Fatal Kiss)" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart2001 - Fred Neil, songwriter ("Candy Man", "Everybody's Talkin'"), singer and Capitol Records recording artist (1966-1971), dies of cancer at age 65 at his home in Summerland Key, in Monoroe County, Key West, Florida2006 - Syd Barrett, (born Roger Keith Barrett), singer, songwriter, guitarist, founder of the Tower, Harvest, Columbia and Capitol Records group The Pink Floyd, and a solo artist, dies in his home in Cambridge, England at age 60 due to complications from diabetes

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY1930 - Hank Mobley, composer, tenor saxophonist, member of the Blue Note Records group The Jazz Messengers and a solo Blue Note Records artist, is born Henry Mobley in Eastman, Georgia1944 - A flying bomb hit's EMI's Hayes factory in England near a surface shelter, killing 37 employees and injuring an additional 56 employees who were either in the shelter or caught in the open1954 - The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet (Brookmeyer on valve trombone, John Williams on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Isola on drums) record the tracks "Isn’t It Romantic", "Doe Eyes", "Red Devil", "Body And Soul", and "Last Chance" with Brookmeyer producing with recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey for their self-titled Pacific Jazz album whose catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is still #6 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Domino's Imperial Records single "My Blue Heaven" is in a 3 way tie for #31 down from #33 with Otis Williams' single "Ivory Tower" and Eddie Fisher (with Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra)'s single "On The Street Where You Live"50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - David Saville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #10 down from #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Pool Little Fool" enters the chart at #18 in a tie with The Kalin Twins' single "When?", and Dion and The Belmonts' Laurie Records single "I Wonder Why" is tied for #25 down from #22 with Johnny Cash's single "Guess Things Happen That Way". EMI Music Group, parent company of Capitol Music Group, currently owns the Liberty, Imperial and Laurie Records catalogs.1962 - Dinah Washington, with arranger Don Costa leading the studio orchestra, records the tracks "Fly Me To The Moon" (which will appear on her Roulette Records album "In Love"), "Wouldn't Know What To Do" (which Roulette will release as a single), "No Hard Feelings" (which will appear on her Roulette Records album "Back To The Blues"), and "1 Me And The One I Love" ( (which will also appear on her Roulette Records album "In Love") with producer Henry Glover and recording engineer Eddie Smith at Bell Sound in New York City. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns Roulette Records catalog.1962 - Bobby Vee's Liberty Records single "Sharing You" is #15 up from #16 on Billboard's Hot 100 single chart and Dinah Washington's Roulette Records single "Where Are You" is still #40. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the Liberty and Roulette Records catalogs.2002 - Dorle Jarmel Soria, record producer, opera supporter, author, journalist, reviewer, as well as co-founder of Cetra-Soria Records and founding co-director (1953-1957) of Angel Records in the U.S. with her husband Dario Soria, dies at age 101 at her home in Manhattan, New York

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY1971 - Ub Iwerks (born Ubbe Ert Iwwerks), artist, cartoon animator (hand drew the first Mickey Mouse cartoon "Plane Crazy" for Walt Disney by himself in two weeks), director and studio owner, dies of a heart attack at age 70 in Burbank, California

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This blog contains information, that I gather daily, about the history of Capitol Records, related labels, The Capitol Records Tower, and other pop culture events and anniversaries.
Please contact me if you have any corrections, comments and/or facts you'd like to share.
To see some great photos of the opening of The Capitol Tower and to get a quick overview of Capitol's early history check out the archive for April 2006.

THE MELLOWAIRES?

I'm trying to track down who was in this group. They sang backup for Martha Tilton and Johnny Mercer at Capitol's first session on April 6, 1942 and at other sessions up until July 31, 1942, (the day before the recording ban went into effect) when the backed Freddie Slack and His Orchestra, Ella Mae Morse, Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting.Every listing for them just gives the group's name and, so far, none of the curators at the libraries that house the papers of Johnny Mercer, Dave Dexter, Jr., Jo Stafford and Paul Weston's collections, who really went all out to search, have been able to track down the group's roster.The Mellowaires also made two three minute "soundies" in 1942, "Cocktails For Two" with Bob Hughes and "LullabyIn Swing" on their own, copies of which are in the UCLA Film and Television Archives.Any help identifying anyone in this group would be much appreciated.